The Pottawatomie County Commission authorized officials to move forward in the application process for newly-available COVID-19 relief funds through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant program, also known as CDBG-CV, during a meeting Monday. The decision came after Jack Allston, the executive director of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, provided information on the program to the commission during their weekly meeting. This program, which makes $9,029,815 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act available to eligible cities and counties in Kansas, is meant to provide support for food programs and help eligible businesses.…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Republican congressman from Kansas who is also a doctor says he has been taking a malaria drug being touted by President Donald Trump as a way to protect against the coronavirus, despite warnings that it could have potentially fatal side effects. U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said he doesn’t have COVID-19 but is taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative drug. His parents, siblings and wife also are taking the drug, a spokesman for Marshall told The Kansas City Star on Tuesday. “I would encourage any person over the age…
BURRTON, Kan. — A member of the city council in a central Kansas town is facing charges involving child sex crimes. The Harvey County Sheriff’s Office says 39-year-old Justin Freeman was arrested Monday. He is in his first year on the Burrton City Council. The county attorney charged Freeman with six counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He is being held in the Harvey County jail on $750,000 bond. Burrton Mayor Rodney Redinger said the city is aware of the allegations and is cooperating in any way it can with investigators.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Embattled Lawrence Police Chief Gregory Burns Jr. is resigning, just months after most members of the police union approved a no confidence vote against him. Burns’ tenure with the department will officially end June 12. A separation agreement says Burns and the city reached a mutual decision that he would step down. He will receive a lump sum payment equal to nine months of pay. Capt. Anthony Brixius, a nearly 17-year veteran of the department, will begin serving as interim chief immediately. The Lawrence Police Officers Association approved a vote of no confidence in Burns in January…
MISSION, Kan. — The family of an 88-year-old man who died in a COVID-19 outbreak at a suburban Kansas City nursing home has sued. KCUR reports that the wrongful death suit that was filed Monday on behalf of the family of Gordan Grohman alleges that the staff at Brighton Gardens in Prairie Village, Kansas, failed to separate residents with COVID-19 symptoms from those without the virus. Grohman died May 1. It’s the first such suit against the facility, where there have been 76 positive cases and 14 deaths.
The Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce officially announced that Jason Toll has been named as the new Executive Director. He replaces Daryn Soldan, who left earlier this year for a position at the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. Toll joins the Chamber from his prior position as the Public Service Director at the Larned State Hospital. Prior to his work here, Toll has held the role as a small business owner and manager. He formed Computer Services and Consulting and Amber Wave Internet, a company that was acquired by a larger internet service company in 2002. Toll is also the…
Riley County commissioners on Monday reviewed preliminary numbers for the 2021 budget. Budget and Finance Officer Tami Robison presented early projections for budget appropriations and highlighted any increases to department budgets and the total number. Increases include the attorney’s office, community corrections, insurance, and council of aging. The total appropriations request is $33,956,690. Other costs for the county include bond and interest, county building, Riley County Police Department, and capital improvement. The costs for bond and interest are final since they can not make adjustments to money the county owes, while the county building budget is to remain flat. The…
Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr and Mayor Usha Reddi joined us Tuesday morning
The Pottawatomie County Commission has approved a 60-day extension of the Emergency Declaration that was originally put in place in late March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Emergency Management Director Jennifer Merrow says doing so will give the county more flexibility and access to resources during an uncertain time. Although the emergency declaration was extended, Merrow says the county’s Emergency Operation Center team will soon be scaling back. They will continue meeting on Wednesdays and will also meet with the county commission on Friday mornings. Information on how to access these meetings can be found at pottcounty.org.
The Pottawatomie County Commission heard budget requests from five different organizations during its meeting Monday. Of the five organizations, the Pottawatomie County K-State Research and Extension office was the only one to request an increase for fiscal-year 2021. Their request of $236,056 is up from their current budget of $231,456. Commissioner Greg Riat says the commission’s goal is to keep the county’s overall budget flat for fiscal-year 2021. Erin Tynon, a K-State Research and Extension agent, says the increase request is due in part to a lack of flexibility with employee salaries and benefits. The remainder of the requests for…